Posts Tagged Funeral for Chicago Fire Department Firefighter Juan Bucio 6/4/18

Chicago Fire Department Lodd Firefighter Juan Bucio (more)

Excerpts from Chicago.cbslocal.com:

A Chicago Fire Department diver drowned while on a rescue call on the Chicago River in 2018, caused by a lapse in air management and inability to maintain buoyancy in the water.

The report suggests that if Juan Bucio had an alarm to alert him that his main air tank was empty, he may have been able to switch to his reserve supply.

The 43-page report was completed in June, three years after Bucio disappeared under the waves of the river near 26th and Ashland while searching for a missing boater. Bucio was pronounced dead after he was pulled out several minutes later.

The report suggests more training and fundamental scuba skills for CFD divers. It concluded that a dive computer (which is not required) could have helped alert Bucio of low air rather than relying reading gauges in the dark murky river.

Bucio was found with an entire reserve air tank still full. The report found that when Bucio’s main tank was out of air, it appears he could not inflate his vest for positive buoyancy and control. His 24-pound lead weight belt was also still on, which was further hindering his buoyancy.

Fire Department dive teams responded to a call about a man who fell off a boat on the Chicago River near Canalport Riverwalk Park on Memorial Day of 2018. The body of that man, Alberto Lopez, was recovered from the River several days later.

A helicopter dropped Bucio and his partner into the river to search for the boater. The two had been in the water for some time when they began swimming to a Chicago Fire Department boat.

Bucio and his partner were face to face in the water next to the rocking boat when Bucio’s head went under the waves. His partner placed his hands on the side of the boat to keep his head above water.

From the NIOSH Report:

NIOSH Report Executive Summary of the LODD of Chicago FD Diver  Juan Bucio

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Chicago Fire Department Lodd Firefighter Juan Bucio (more)

Excerpts from CBSchicago.com:

Chicago Fire Department diver Juan Bucio suffered from a rare heart condition that contributed to his death while he was trying to rescue a boater in the Chicago River on Memorial Day.

Bucio vanished in the river near 26th and Ashland around 8 p.m. He was pronounced dead after being pulled out several minutes later.

The Cook County Medical Examiner’s report said Bucio had a rare heart condition that led to his death. The official cause of death as ruled by the medical examiner is asphyxia with depletion of air from his diving tank due to cardiac arrhythmia. Lymphocytic myocarditis is an inflammatory reaction in heart muscle – it usually happens after a viral infection as the heart tries to fight a virus, according to Dr. Kousik Krishnan, a Rush University Medical Center cardiologist.

That response can weaken heart muscle, give signs of heart failure, and also make someone at risk of dangerous rhythm problems, Krishnan said. The rare condition, combined with an irregular heartbeat, could prove fatal.

“While the Scuba equipment functioned properly, the decedent likely exhausted his primary air supply at some point during the dive. This in turn caused him to not be able to activate other safety equipment that would have kept him afloat, and thus he sank below the surface,” stated the Cook County Medical Examiner.

The Chicago Fire Department is continuing its own investigation into the circumstances surrounding Bucio’s death and will examine whether protocols were followed.

 

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Chicago Fire Department Lodd Firefighter Juan Bucio (more)

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Chicago Fire Department Lodd Firefighter Juan Bucio

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Chicago Fire Department Lodd Firefighter Juan Bucio (more)

Photos from Tim Olk of the funeral for Chicago FF/EMT Juan Bucio

Funeral for Chicago FF/EMT Juan Bucio 6/4/18

Tim Olk photo

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Chicago Fire Department Lodd Firefighter Juan Bucio (more)

Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:

Juan Bucio was a man of few words. Quiet but devoted. Stoic but determined. Disciplined and precise. Bucio preferred to let his work do the talking, family and his fellow firefighters said, whether it was in rescues or training. He was frequently first in team dive tests. He jumped out of a helicopter on Father’s Day to search for a boy missing near Jackson Park harbor.

Bucio’s sons, family, friends and firefighter family tried to press forward Monday, gathering for a funeral Mass to remember and salute their father, brother and comrade. During the bilingual service, family members described Bucio, a divorced father of two boys, ages 9 and 7, as the strong and quiet one.

Earlier Monday morning, firetrucks with black and purple bunting led a procession along Western Avenue to the doors of the church. Leading the way was the scuba team’s vehicle. Engine No. 13 carried Bucio’s casket, draped in the Chicago municipal flag on the back and Bucio’s fire jacket and helmet on the front.

Members of Bucio’s air and rescue team served as pallbearers and carefully unloaded the casket before heading in. One member of the team breathed heavily, clenching his fist as he fought back tears. Bucio’s sons, their gloved hands gently resting on the top of the casket and their heads bowed, led the pallbearers into the church.

At the end of the afternoon, when the procession arrived at the cemetery, a fire engine carried the casket to the burial site, followed closely by the Chicago Police Department’s mounted unit and the fire department’s air and sea rescue team, who marched in formation.

A priest eulogized Bucio, noting the similarities between his last name and buzo, the Spanish word for diver. A duet of trumpeters played Taps. The bagpipers played Amazing Grace. And the honor guard folded the Chicago flag from the atop the coffin and presented it to Bucio’s family.

CFD FF/EMT Juan Bucio's funeral

A casket bearing the body of Chicago Fire Department diver Juan Bucio, 46, arrives on June 4, 2018, for the funeral at St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel on the South Side of Chicago. Bucio died during a rescue attempt last week. Chris Walker / Chicago Tribune photo

CFD FF/EMT Juan Bucio's funeral

The family of fallen Chicago Fire Department diver Juan Bucio at his funeral at St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel on June 4, 2018. E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune photo

CFD FF/EMT Juan Bucio's funeral

St. Procopius Pastor Fr. Gary Graf addresses the sons of fallen Chicago Fire Department diver Juan Bucio at his funeral at St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel on June 4, 2018. E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune photo

CFD FF/EMT Juan Bucio's funeral

The funeral procession for Chicago firefighter Juan Bucio, 46, drives up North Harlem Avenue on the way to Mount Auburn Cemetery on June 4, 2018, in Stickney. Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune photo

CFD FF/EMT Juan Bucio's funeral

A casket bearing the body of Chicago Fire Department diver Juan Bucio, 46, is carried on June 4, 2018, to a ladder truck after Bucio’s funeral at St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel on the South Side. Chris Walker / Chicago Tribune photo

CFD FF/EMT Juan Bucio's funeral

A casket bearing the body of Chicago Fire Department diver Juan Bucio, 46, is hoisted on June 4, 2018, to a ladder truck after Bucio’s funeral at St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel on the South Side. Bucio died during a rescue attempt last week. Chris Walker / Chicago Tribune photo

CFD FF/EMT Juan Bucio's funeral

The funeral procession for Chicago Fire Department diver Juan Bucio arrives on June 4, 2018, at Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Stickney. Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune photo

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Chicago Fire Department Lodd Firefighter Juan Bucio (more)

From CFDMedia on Twitter:

Funeral for Chicago Fire Department Firefighter Juan Bucio. 6/4/18

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Funeral for Chicago Fire Department Firefighter Juan Bucio. 6/4/18

CFD Media photo

Funeral for Chicago Fire Department Firefighter Juan Bucio. 6/4/18

CFD Media photo

Funeral for Chicago Fire Department Firefighter Juan Bucio. 6/4/18

CFD Media photo

Funeral for Chicago Fire Department Firefighter Juan Bucio. 6/4/18

CFD Media photo

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